Located along the narrow passageways of Bangkok Noi in Thon Buri district is an ancient artisan community that is slowly fading into history. Khan long hin or stone polished bronzeware is an artform traceable to the Ayutthaya period over 200 years ago.  When Thon Buri became the new capital in 1767 after the fall of Ayutthaya a group of craftsmen fleeing the war settled in what is known today as Ban Bu. There they continued their ancient trade of making bronzeware supplying the markets of royals and bureaucrats.

Copper, tin and a secret element used for making bronze at Ban Bu

The art of khan long hin involves six steps with each step being completed by a different craftsman.  Before starting any of these steps the bronze has to be prepared. This process involves mixing copper, tin and a secret element in the ratio of 7:2:1 and melted down in a traditional earthen jar placed in a charcoal furnace. Upon reaching liquid form, it is then poured into a clay disc mould. Once cooled these moulds are beaten into flat metal plates first and depending on the size, one to several layers are hammered together into the desired shape.  

An earthen jar used for melting bronze at Ban Bu.

The melted bronze from the charcoal furnace poured into a clay disc mould.

Hammering a bronze disc and shaping it into a bowl.

Heating the bronze for shaping in a small charcoal furnace.

For the second step, soot collected from pots and pans throughout the neighbourhood is applied to the exterior of the bowl or plate. It is then fixed on the bronze surface by hammering. When this is completed the edges of the bowls are trimmed evenly. Broken pottery used for smelting the bronze is ground into a powder on the fourth step. This powder is applied to the bowls for a first stage polishing mostly for smoothing with a cloth dipped in coconut oil.  

Fixing soot on the bronze surface by hammering.

Uneven surfaces inside the bowl smoothen using a lathe.

Final adjustments are made in the fifth step with light hammering and filing of any uneven surfaces inside the bowl using a kind of lathe. Once this is completed the final polish is done using beach sand on the sixth step. The sand is applied as a paste on a buffer wheel of a machine operated polisher. This final polishing gives the bowl a smooth reflective shine. In some cases, at this stage, the bowl is considered complete but for a traditional khan long hin bowl etching is done using traditional Thai patterns. 

Final polishing of a bronze bowl.

Bronzeware on display complete with etchings of traditional Thai patterns.

Ms Metta Salanon owner and manager of Jiam Sangsjja Bronze Factory in Ban Bu Bangkok Thailand.

In the past, every family in Ban Bu made khan long hin for a living but now, due to industrialization and accessible education younger generations have switched to other less labour intensive occupations. Today Jiam Sangsatja bronze factory is the only remaining khan long hin maker in Thailand and in order to adapt to changing markets the factory now makes modern style items such as plates, salad bowls, fruit bowls and trays instead of just traditional style bowls. Its current owner Metta Salanon is the sixth generation of the family business that operated in Ban Bu almost two centuries ago. A daughter of seven children now at the age of 73 [at the time of writing] she is the only reason this trade has managed to survive. Metta has three children of her own, two boys and one girl but they have gone on to pursue careers in the fields of medicine and art. As a cultural heritage, the tourism authority is interested in preserving this trade along with a few others in the area by promoting community tourism. If successful it’s possible the artisans themselves will be able to continue the practice of khan long hin on their own and pass on this ancient trade to another generation. 

How do you feel when traditional methods of craftsmanship are lost due to mechanization or lack of interest from the younger generations? Do you feel that more efforts should be made by the government or societies to preserving these cultures by getting younger people involved? Tell us what you think in the comments below.